As summer vacation begins for Upper Cumberland students, many children will face the issue of food insecurity.
Food to the Rescue Family Outreach Coordinator Robin Twitty said those described as food insecure do not know where their next meal is coming from. Twitty said one in five kids in Tennessee deal with food insecurity. Twitty said the issue can cause physical and emotional impacts.
“They’re not going to be able to learn because their brains aren’t getting the nourishment they need,” Twitty said. “Food insecure kids sometimes deal with low self esteem and feeling like they’re not worthy.”
Twitty said food insecure kids may have other developmental issues. Twitty said kids facing food insecurity may still be able to get meals from school systems over the summer, but only at certain locations.
“You also have to have transportation to get to that location,” Twitty said. “And the adult that has to go pick up the meals also has to have each child in the vehicle with them in order to pick up those meals, and that’s just not feasible for a lot of parents.”
Food insecurity can be caused by an unstable financial situation, high costs of living, or even health issues. Twitty said people may not realize how many food insecure families lack transportation. Twitty said many food insecure people work multiple jobs.
“They can’t just take off work to pick up a meal,” Twitty said. “Much less run and pick up their children, pick up the meals, and take the children back to childcare and then go back to work.”
Twitty said Food to the Rescue helps kids in food insecure homes by delivering meal boxes to their door. Twitty said meal boxes can sometimes last several weeks, and they eliminate the need for transportation or time off work.
